Sweet Embrace
by HoshikoIzumi
Summary: Haldir finds a child in the forest, her mother and father killed by orcs. She is taken before Galadriel, and Galadriel decides Haldir is the best guardian for her. What will this Chief of the Military do? NOT a Mary-Sue. R+R
1. Default Chapter

            **This is my first Haldir fic, and hopefully one of the best ones I will write. I am trying desparately to keep the elves in character, but it is also my first full-elven charactered fiction. Honestly I have more practice with hobbits, but ah, well. Believe it or not, this fic was inspired by the scene in TTT the movie, when Aragorn hugs Haldir. I found it rather cute and funny his expression. It was like 'Oh… all righty, then.' Lolz, well, enjoy!**

**~ Hoshiko**

The Child in the Forest

It was dark among the trees of Lorien. Night had fallen an hour ago, but there was still peace among the trees. Haldir sat on a _talan_ along with his brother Orophin, talking quietly. The night was quiet itself, and was only broken when another tall but light body hopped down besides them. 

            'My, you are late!' Haldir said, pretending to be serious, but not succeeding, 'Rumil, Celeborn would have your head!' 

            'Ah, but yours would look much better on the wall, my dear brother!' Rumil answered, and Haldir chuckled. 

'Probably so, yes.' He said, swinging himself up on a branch, 'but you see, I am always here on time.' 

'If you do not wish to be you do not have to.' Orophin said, looking at the stars. 'It has been so quiet for so long, it has started to get tedious…' he said, keeping his gaze. It was 430 of the Third Age, and things around Lorien had been peaceful. Indeed to a Guardian of the Golden Wood it would seem that way, for, in elven interpretations of time, the Last Alliance had just ended not too long ago. Haldir and Orophin remembered it, though Rumil had not come of age at that time. 

'Do not speak like that!' Haldir warned, looking down at his younger brother, 'it is better than seeing any more of our kin wounded and killed.' He said, and Orophin agreed silently. Going to the other side of the _talan_ Rumil looked out across the vast forest. His sharp eyes locked onto a small moving object. Quieting his siblings, he could hear the faint sound of pounding feet and snarls of some creature. 

'Are those orcs?' he asked, not sure if what he saw was really there. Haldir and Orophin immediately rushed over to him and looked, too. 

'Yes, they are, come along; our time of idleness is over.' Haldir said quickly, and immediately began jumping nimbly from _talan_ to _talan, his brothers close behind. They were much faster than the orcs, so they headed them off, and bent their bows. In the speed of elves they each loaded a white arrow into their bows, and started their attack on the orcs. _

The orcs did not stand a chance. They were a very small band, and though once they realized they were under attack, their arrows missed. Trying to hit an elf in the dark was not an easy task. When most of the orcs had been killed, there was one that Haldir saw, though he was shooting another. It ran off behind the bushes, and suddenly a shriek could be heard. His brother's heads immediately shot to the side, but Haldir jumped down from the tree. 

'I will get it, do not worry!' he said, and they continued with their battle. The orc was facing the way opposite of Haldir, and Haldir killed it quickly. It fell to the side, dead. What Haldir saw afterwards made him question his eye sight for the first time in his long life. 

It was a child. A small child, curled up, the best protection it had for itself. He walked up slowly to it, his brothers coming behind him. He gently put a hand on its shoulder, but it just curled up tighter. 

'Leave me alone, you mean orcy!' it whined in the Common Tongue from its ball. He could hear his brothers snickering from behind him. 

'No, no, I am not an orc, they are all gone.' He said as gently as he was used to, and it shook its head. 

'I don't believe you!' the child said, and in a flash bit Haldir's hand. He drew it back immediately, not used to pain of any sort. He watched his language because of the child in front of him, but the words he said in his head would have made even Orophin blush. 

'I do not think the child likes you.' Orophin said in Quenya, and Haldir shot him a look of death. 

'I would happily see you do better.' Haldir said, and Orophin just shrugged. Haldir turned back to the child and kneeled next to it. It seemed at the other voice, the child had looked up, and now looked at them in wonder. Haldir could easily see it was a girl, now. 'What are you doing in the forest alone?' Haldir asked, and the child immediately started shedding tears. 

'I- I…' it sniffed, 'I want my mommy!' she cried, and buried her head in her hands. Haldir sighed, and rubbed his temples. 

'What does you mother look like?' he asked as much as his trying patience would allow. She suddenly stopped crying, and looked at him. 

'Well… she… she… she's as tall as you, and-and she had gold hair, and I lost her…' she said, and Rumil, who was more learned in the common tongue than Orophin, kneeled next to her, Haldir standing. 

'Where did you loose her?' he asked calmly, and the girl pointed to the way the orcs had come. 

'She told me to run over there, so I listened to her, and now I can't find her, and I'm cold, and I'm scarred…' the girl whined, and Rumil nodded. 

'It's all right.' He said, and looked at Orophin. 'Orophin, go where the orcs came from and see if you find a maiden.' He said, and Orophin, though not excited with taking orders from his younger brother, went, leaving Haldir and Rumil with the child. They waited, the girl latching onto Rumil, and when Orophin returned, he shook his head. 

'I found a woman about half a mile away. She had been killed with a swift slice to her neck. She was weaponless; she had no chance against them.' He said, but the child did not seem to understand Quenya, so she looked up at him with curiosity. Rumil stood up and looked at his brother. 

'Are you sure?'

'I doubt my eyes not.' Orophin said, and Rumil nodded. 

'Come along, we will bring her to the Lord and Lady, they shall know what to do.' He said, and looked at the child. 

'Haldir, would you please get her?' he asked, and Haldir raised an eyebrow. 

'Me? Why me?'

'Because you are the oldest and most responsible.' Rumil said matter-of-factly, and Haldir rolled his eyes, picking the girl up. 

'Tulya, ai-er.' He said soothingly in Sindarin, and she nuzzled her head into his clothes, sobbing silently. He held her rather awkwardly and Rumil started to talk to her in Sindarin. The language that was like singing to the ears of someone not used to it was calming, and with the very even moving of his walk, she fell asleep quickly. 


	2. A Decision for the Marchwarden

**Wowza! So many reviews for one chapter! I'm so honoured! I looked and I was like 'whoooaaaah… brain overload!' oh, and about the pain thing, I believe that Haldir would not have felt pain before, and there is a very simple reason: he is just too good. If you saw, Legolas never was injured because everything was dead before it had a chance to cause physical harm. He never felt any pain, and I believe it would be the same with Haldir. That's just my opinion, though. Ok, I'm out, v. tired, bye!**

**~Hoshiko**

A Decision for the Marchwarden

            Haldir and his brothers walked through Lorien, elves often giving them strange looks. It was a strange site to see; Haldir, a captain of the forest's army, carrying a child that could be no more than ten (which is equal to a toddler in elven years), asleep no less. 

'Haldir, an ada!' Orophin laughed to himself, Haldir kicking him in the back of the leg. This woke the little girl up, and she looked up sleepily at the city around her. She was too tired to stay awake, though, and by the time they reached the place where the Lord and Lady lived, she had fallen fast asleep again. 

Haldir laid her carefully on the ground, taking off his cloak and putting it on her. She did not wake, and they walked silently up to the doors of the royalties' chamber. They knocked on the door, and could hear it ringing through the halls inside. Shortly the door opened, and Celeborn and Galadriel appeared. The three brothers' bowed, and the two royalties nodded their heads. 

'My Lord and Lady,' Haldir said, standing in front of his siblings. 'There was an orc attack out in the forest not too long ago, and we encountered a problem.' He said, and paused, trying to think of how to phrase this. 

'Yes?' Celeborn asked patiently, and Haldir continued. 

'We killed all the orcs, but I found near the fight a child, alone and frightened. After talking to her, Rumil found that she had been with her mother, who Orophin found slain. We do not know what to do with her.' He explained, and Galadriel nodded slowly. 

'May I see the child?' she asked, and Haldir bowed. 

'Certainly.' He said, and left. He found her awake, playing with his cloak. 'Hello, there.' he said, and she looked up. 

'Did you find my mommy?' she asked, and he shook his head. 

'No, but… umm… there is a very nice lady who would like to see you.' He said, and held out his hand. She took it, rapping his cloak over her little shoulders, and came with him back into the Grand House. She made a little gasp when she saw Galadriel, and the Lady walked down to her, kneeling to her height. Galadriel, after all, had been a mother. 

'Hello, my child.' She said and smiled kindly. The girl's eyes opened like saucers, and she let her little mouth hang open. 

'Wow, you're really, really pretty!' she said, and Galadriel laughed. 

'Thank you.' She said, and put her hand on the girl's shoulder. 'What is your name?' 

'My name is Thinthar, and I'm…' she held up nine fingers, 'this many!' she announced proudly, and Galadriel laughed again. 'My mommy taught me that, do you know where my mommy is? We really need to start going again, she said if we did not get to Imla… Imdr…' 

'Imladris.'

'Yes, there, she said if we did not get there than we might be caught by the meany orcy's.' The girl said, and Galadriel glanced at Celeborn, who did not know what to do. 

'Who was your father?' Galadriel asked, and the girl pouted, looking down at her feet. 

'My ada died because an orcy hit him with a big shiny pointy stick a little while ago, so my mommy said we had to get to Im… the place you said. She said we'd be safe in the woods of Lor… Lor-ien, because we were in the bad part of my home.' 

'What is your home?' Galadriel asked calmly, and the girl looked back up at her. 

'Mirkwood, but ada always told me to call it Greenwood the Great.' She said, and nodded. Galadriel then stood, and the girl went over to Haldir. 'Here's you cloak back, I'm not cold any more.' She said, and the elf blushed a slight bit. It was a rather amusing sight to see, even Celeborn cracked a smile. 

'She is of Mirkwood kin.' Galadriel informed Orophin and Rumil, who could follow very little of the conversation. 'Her father was killed by orcs in Mirkwood, and her mother was trying to bring her to Imladris, but the orcs killed her, as you know. She's only nine years of age. 

'What are we to do?' Orophin asked, and the little girl went over to Haldir, tugging on his tunic. 

'Hey, what are they saying?' she asked, and Haldir put a finger to his mouth. 

'I will tell you later.' He said, and she looked down at her feet again. 

'All right…' she said, and Galadriel turned to Haldir. 

'Haldir, do you know of any one who would be willing to take in a child such as this?' she asked, and the girl gripped his tunic harder. 

'I do not, my Lady, I am sorry.' Haldir said, and Galadriel looked at the little girl cling to his tunic. 

'She does seem rather attached to you.' She said, laughing and Haldir looked down at her. He knew what she was hinting at. 

'My Lady, I do not know if I would be able to take care of a child. I have no experience with children.' He said, but Rumil sighed. 

'Haldir, my brother, we do not have many choices with us. You said yourself you do not know of any one willing to have her.' He said, and Haldir again looked at the little girl. Under her silver hair, her blue eyes shimmered in Galadriel's light. He was surprised that they were the same blue as the Queen's. In the girls eyes he could see her sadness, and he suddenly felt sorry for her. He thought of it for a second, and could hear a voice in his head. It was Galadriel. 

'You care for her already; I can see it in your eyes, as you can see the same in hers.' She said, and he looked at Galadriel again. 

'I do not know how to take care of a child.' He said, and she nodded. 

'You would have no problem, Haldir.' She said, and Haldir looked down at the girl again. 

'Fine, I will take the girl in, but I do not know how to tell her about her mother.' He said, and Galadriel nodded again. 

'Her dress is dirty and torn; she is in need of a new one. I will have one of my tailors do this while I tell her. You, in the mean time, may have to make room for a child in your house.' She said, and turned to Orophin and Rumil. 'And you two should go back on guard, I do not know if there are still orcs in the forest.' She said, and all three bowed, leaving. Galadriel took the girl by the hand and led her into the room, Celeborn following after her. 

Mean while, while they were walking down the stairs, Orophin pat Haldir roughly on the shoulder. 

'Good job, Haldir, you really are becoming an ada!' he said, and Haldir shook his head. 

'No, I am to be her guardian, not her ada.' Haldir said, and Orophin smiled. 

'Oh, come along, now, Haldir!' he said, but Rumil put a hand on Orophin's shoulder. 

'Orophin, I should have convinced her to give the child to you.' He said, and Orophin sighed. 

'Fine. The first thing that happens in a great while, and I can not even joke of it.' he mumbled, and the two separated from Haldir. Haldir then realized that he had not needed to walk down the stairs. His house was only accessible from the talans connecting the Royal Chambers to his own living quarters. He sighed and walked back up them, his head spinning. 

He did not think he was capable of taking care of a child, but knowing Galadriel's wisdom, he did not question her decision. He then walked into his house, and looked around. Everything was neat, in place. It was small, only having three rooms, a living room, a bedroom, and a washroom, but it was all he needed. He lived most of his life in the woods, after all, and meals were always served in the dinning hall, along with much of Lorien, if the elves were hungry then. Besides a mirror in his bedroom, there were no breakable things he could find. He went into his room and found an extra bow and arrows lying in the little girl's reach, and put them safely in the top shelf of his dresser. He would have to have an extra bed made for her, and a dresser for her clothes. He looked through his, though, and found that there were two free drawers. This was good, for her clothes were small and would fit. 

'She will need play things…' he muttered to himself, realizing he would need something for her when he had to go out into the forest. He thought of it for a minute, and then got an idea. The maiden next to him kept many play things for small children, if they lost their own, she would give them to the child. He walked out of his house, and hopped to the talan next to him, knocking on the door. The silver-haired elf maiden opened it and smiled kindly at Haldir. 

'Haldir, what brings you to my home?' she asked, and for the first time in his life he stuttered. 

'I-I have a slight dilemma,' he said, and looked at the Royal Court's direction. 'I am taking in a child, a little girl, but I have nothing for her to play with.' He said, and the lady's face brightened greatly. 

'Oh, certainly!' she said, and came back with a doll, the best she had. All elven girls played with dolls, weather they were with others or not. 'Here, she will love it.' she said happily, and Haldir took it, seeing it was like an elven maiden with black hair. Haldir smiled, and nodded. 

'Thank you.' He said, and looked at his home. 'How much would you like?' he asked, and she shook her head quickly. 

'Oh, no cost!' she said, and he bowed to her. 

'Thank you.' 

'Certainly, you must bring the girl over for me to see her!' the woman said, and Haldir nodded. 

'Yes, I shall at some time.' He said, and left. He felt better now; at least he had a play thing for her. 


	3. Of New Dresses, Dolly's, and Food

**Wow, I can't believe I have so many reviews! This is, like, freakingly awesome, I didn't think so many people would read this! Thank you, everyone, cookies for all!**

**~Hoshiko**

Of New Dresses, Dolly's, and Food

Haldir put the doll on the top of his dresser and looked around his quarters. There was nothing sharp or dangerous in the small girl's grasp; all was safe. He decided that they must have been almost finished, and he walked back to the Royal Chambers. 

When he arrived there, an elf-maiden rushed to him and put in his hands three dresses. 

'Here you are, Haldir. They're very practical and they're her own. Rumil came a little while ago with them from her mother's things.' She said, and he looked at the dresses. One was actually a nightshirt, and the others had short or no sleeves, well made for her. 'She is an active little girl,' the maiden said, and smiled. 'You are a brave elf, Master Haldir, a very brave elf.' 

'Thank you. I would not call it bravery, though, rather duty.' He said, for in his mind it was clear that the Lady Galadriel assigned him this. 

'Call it what ever you like, but I still believe you are a brave one,' she said and nodded, hurrying back behind the Royal Chambers. He had just put Thinthar's things under his arm when the doors to the Royal Chamber opened. Galadriel stood there with Thinthar and it was plain to see the child had been crying. When she saw Haldir, she ran up to him and grabbed onto his hand. She had on a new dress of white, simple and good for a girl her age.  

'Hawdir, my mommy's dead!' she cried, and suddenly latched onto his leg. He looked up at the Lady, who nodded and turned, going back into her chambers. 

'Yes, I have heard, I am very sorry.' He said, and stroked her hair. He kneeled down and looked Thinthar in the eyes. 'Did she tell you what was to happen now?' Haldir asked, and Thinthar wiped tears from her eyes. 

'Gawadriel said that I could stay with you.' 

'Would you like that?' the girl vigorously nodded her head, and he stood, taking her hand. 'All right then, little one, come along.' He said, and they walked to his quarters. When they arrived, she instantly started poking around in every little corner, seeming to forget her mother. 

'Oo, Hawdir, I haven't seen this since we left home!' she said, and pointed to the dresser. She said that with most of the things in the quarters, and after he put her clothes in a drawer, he looked at the doll. He could think of no better time to give it to her, and as she was bouncing on the bed, he turned. 

'Thinthar,' he said, and she hopped over to him. 'I did not know if you had any thing to play with or not,' he said, and put in her hands the doll. Her eyes opened in wonder again, and she looked at the doll. 

'Hawdir!' she said, and jumped on him, hugging him. Now, you must understand Haldir's reaction to this, for he had not been hugged by any one since he were a small child by his mother. It was strange, and he stood there for a second, not sure of what to do. He rapped his arms around her small body, though, and hugged her back after a second. 

'Hawdir, I haven't had a dolly since we left home! Thank you!' she said, and he set her back on the bed. 

'I'm glad you like It.' he said, but she made no reaction. Instead she sat on the bed, looking at the doll's hair, her features, her small pointed ears, and her dress. 

'I want a dress like this when I get older!' she said to herself, looking at its flowing sleeves. She played with it for quiet some time while Haldir double-checked his quarters. He seemed to be very worried about her safety in his home. 

'Do you know any one here?' he asked, and she looked up at him, shaking her head. 

'No, I've never been here before,' she said. He looked out a window and down to a small group of children about her age, playing together on the forest floor. He could make out two of them, both brother and sister. Their father was one of Marchwardens of the forest, assigned to the opposite side, and his wife was most likely home. After a moment of considering, he looked at the girl who was still enthralled with her doll. 

'Would you be all right if I left you alone for a short while?' he asked, and she looked up at him again. 

'You're going to leave me?' she asked, and he shook his head. 

'No, I will be right where you can see me.' He answered, and went to a window, her following him. 'See those quarters two talans over, with the red door?' he asked, and she nodded. 'I will be right there where you can see me. Now, I will lock the doors and you are not to come out, do you understand?' he asked, for another fear had hit him. He was afraid she might fall off the talan, being only a small child. 

'Yes, Hawdir, sir.' She said, and he smiled. 

'Good, I will be back shortly.' He said, going out the door, setting the latch so it would catch. She watched him walk over two talans and knock on the red door. There another maiden came out, and he nodded to her. 

'He-' he started, but was not given the chance to say her name. 

'Haldir! Oh, I have heard what you are doing for the child, very sweet of you.' She said, and he nodded. 

'Yes, tha-' 

'Oh, I know what you would like, to see if she might play with the other children. Of course she can! If you bring her over tomorrow morning I'll introduce my two to her.' She said, and he was slightly taken aback by her sudden offer. 

'Thank you, I did not know what I would have done with her while I was on duty.' He said, and the woman nodded. 

'Tis not a problem. I will keep an eye on her, as will all the other mothers in Lorien. She is quiet safe, even alone by herself.' She said, and Haldir said his thanks again and departed back to his quarters. There he jiggled the doorknob a bit, and heard the lock unlatch. He had had a locksmith make it so it would do that, a rather costly experiment, but he did not need to carry keys with him. What he saw there almost made him burst out laughing. 

Standing in a pair of his clothes was Thinthar, sleeves hanging over her hands, leggings dragging on the floor. She even had his extra cloak over her head. 

'Look, Hawdir!' she said, 'I'm you!' she then went into a fit of giggles, while Haldir laughed too. He could not help it; she was very funny all dressed up. 

'So I see,' he said, and she stuck out her arms, twirling around, 'you'll have to grow into them first, though.' He said, and she giggled some more. She then put her hand on her stomach and stopped giggling. 

'Haldir, I'm hungry…' she said, and Haldir looked at the moon outside. It was not a time for meals, but he was sure the kitchens could make an exception. 

'All right. If you change out of my clothes I'll take you to the kitchen, and I will see what they can prepare.' He said, and she quickly took his cloak and clothing off, putting them on his bed. She grabbed her doll and followed him to the kitchens. When they arrived, Haldir knocked on the door, and out stepped a male elf, shorter than others, but with the same basic build. 

'Yes?' he asked, and Haldir looked down at Thinthar. 

'She is very hungry, I was wondering if it were possible to give her something to eat?' Haldir asked, and the cook smiled. 

'Certainly. If you will sit at the table, it will be ready shortly.' He said, and Haldir nodded his thanks. They went and sat at the table, Thinthar playing with her doll, until the same elf came out with a plate of food and a small glass of some juice. 

'Food for the lady.' He said, and she giggled, looking at the plate of food. 

'Thank you!' she said, and took her fork, eating quickly. She was a neat eater, and nothing spilled on her dress or her face. She finished it quickly and drank the rest of her juice. When she was done the elf picked up her plate, and smiled. She had fallen asleep again. Haldir picked her up, not as awkwardly as he had before, and carried her back to his quarters, where he put her in his bed. He changed her carefully, putting her in her nightgown, and tucked her under the covers. She sighed contently, hugging her doll to her. Haldir was surprised to see only five hours of the night had passed. She would be awake by seven the next morning; he had no doubt in his mind. 


	4. All in a Day's Work

**OMG!!! I LOVE YOU ALL!! I swear to Eru, this is the most reviews I've ever seen for _three_ chapters! I love all of you! You all get COOKIES and BUBBLE-TEA! *gives* YAY! Ok, I'm out, bai!**

**~Hoshiko**

All in a Day's Work

Haldir was right. She was awake and walking around at seven. First she opened all the drawers in the house, carefully pushing them back in until she found her dresses. Haldir had been reading one of his books while she slept, and while she dressed herself. Well, she attempted to dress herself. She took the night-gown off correctly, but when she tried to put on a yellow dress, she put an arm through the head-hole, and tried to put her head through the arm-hole. Needless to say, she didn't succeed. Haldir looked over his book and found she was hopping in a circle, trying to have it fit over her head. He chuckled to himself and set it the right way so it slipped over her head properly.

'Thank you, Hawdir, sir!' 

'You're welcome.' He said, and Thinthar jumped over to the window. 

'Wow, it's really pretty here!' she said, and he smiled. It must seem very different for her, Mirkwood was no longer a place of light, but rather dark now. He then looked at Thinthar, and back down to the Great Hall. It was morning now, breakfast would be served. 

'Thinthar, are you hungry?' he asked, and she nodded. 

'Luthien's hungry, too!' she said, and he raised his eyebrows.

'Luthien?'

'Yes, my dolly!' she said, and giggled, holding it out. 

'I see,' he said, and smiled, 'then by all means we shall go eat!' he said and opened the door for her. She hurried out, and he walked behind, following her easily. Her small strides were rather quick, but his long legs made up for his lack of velocity. They walked into the hall, greeted by the welcoming sounds of laughter and clattering plates. 

Haldir took his regular spot at the table, and Thinthar sat next to him. Soon enough the same elf that had served them last night came up to them, and replenished the serving bowls in front of them. 

'Back so soon?' he asked, and Thinthar nodded. 

'Yes! We're hungry again!' she said, and he smiled. 

'As all children are.' He said, and left. Haldir took the girl's plate and put on it some food, and she immediately began eating. He took some for himself, and they finished at the same time. 

'Did you sleep well?' he asked, the silence awkward. She nodded happily and smiled. 

'Yes, your bed is really comfortable!' she said, and drank the last of her drink. When they finished, Haldir stood, Thinthar behind him. He was about to leave when the maiden with the two children, who's name was Gelwe, came up to him. 

'Ah, I was just going to you quarters.' Haldir said, and Thinthar peaked shyly at the two children at their mother's side from behind Haldir's legs. 

'Good, good,' she said, and looked kindly at Thinthar. 'Are you going to come out?' she asked, and Thinthar shook her head, hiding behind Haldir again. Gelwe laughed to herself, and Haldir stepped to the side. 

'Come, Thinthar, these are Nerwe and Gelnor.'

'Hello!' the little girl, Nerwe, piped in and Gelwe nodded. 

'We came to play…' the little boy said, looking shyer than his sister. 

'To play?'

'Uh-huh!' Nerwe said, and saw the doll at her side. 'Wow, your doll is pretty!' she said, and pulled out a doll of her own, which had golden hair. 'Wanna play house with me?' Thinthar looked up Haldir, and he nodded. 

'Yes, let's go!' she said, and the two girls went off together, comparing dolls. 

'Gelnor, you can be the ada!' Nerwe said, and Gelnor shook his head. 

'Nuh-uh! I don't wanna play house.' He said, though he still followed the two. Haldir sighed and nodded to Gelwe. 

'Thank you, very much.' He said, and she waved it off. 

'It is hardly a problem. One more child in my care will not be a horrid thing.' She smiled, and he nodded. 

'Good bye, tell your husband to watch out for orcs when he comes home, please.'

'Certainly.' She said, and he left, hurrying up to his talan, where he got his bow, arrows, quiver, knife, and other needed items. Before he went to where his brothers were, he looked once more at the floor of the forest; Thinthar was playing with Nerwe. He reassured himself that all was well, and went to his post. 

When he arrived he climbed up a tree, and looked at his two brothers, unaware of his presence. He laughed to himself and balanced himself on a branch, walking to the end of it and to the next. He was right above them, but they could not see. He waited for the precise moment, and when Rumil yawned, he practically jumped on top of them. Fear immediately fell upon the two and as they struggled to their feet, Haldir doubled over in laughter. 

'Haldir!' Rumil said, voice mixed with anger, frustration, confusedness, and the slightest hint of fear. 

'Very funny, brother.' Orophin said, placing his bow sharply back into his quiver. 'You truly are a riot.' He face was sour, and Haldir could finally breathe again. He stood, wiping a tear from his eye. 

'I hope for your sakes orcs do not learn to climb trees.' He said, voice hoarse from laughing. Orophin sat slowly back down, and Rumil leaned against the trunk of the tree. 'Has there been any more orcs?'

'None that we have seen.' Rumil said, and flickered his lantern twice. In response another flickered only once, 'nor they.' 

'Good! All is peaceful.' Haldir said, and sat himself upon the talan, legs dangling over the side. 

'You are in a rather good mood.' Orophin snorted, his anger really gone now. He was just always the one to keep his act up. 

'"To the good in spirit, the good in luck."' Haldir said, reciting an ancient proverb he knew of. 

'The child is all right?'

'The child is luck?'

'The child is fine. Thinthar was told by Galadriel, and there is enough room in my quarters for her things. She is playing with the other Elflings at the moment.' He said, and on Rumil's face crept a small smile. 

'You have gotten used to her?' he asked, and Haldir shrugged. 

'I've gotten used to her? No, I would not say that, but she is a very obedient girl, as long as you explain yourself.' 

'Curiosity, no doubt.'

'Yes, curiosity, and much of it. It seems like she has been away from her home for many months, if not a year. She does not remember much.' Haldir said, and Orophin nodded. 

'She's… appealing for a child.' He said, at a loss to describe her. He could not bring himself to say she was 'adorable.' The two others knew what he meant, though, and gave him a look. 'Do not look at me so!' he said, but did so no longer. They sat in silence for the rest of their post, and when darkness fell, they could hear others talking and laughing with each other. Their time for guarding the forest was over for another night and day. 

They stood and left, telling the other group of the orcs. They nodded and said they'd keep watch, and the three brothers went home. They went to the dining hall, where they normally went after they ate, and found that dinner had all ready been prepared and was out. Haldir had started to walk to his normal spot when he heard a cry of 'Hawdir!' and saw Thinthar running towards him, past his brothers. He picked her up and she smiled brightly. 

'Hawdir, today was so much fun! I got to play with the other Elflings, and I had a fun time, and we had lunch, and we played some more!' she said, and Haldir smiled himself. 

'I take it you had a good day?' he asked, and she nodded. 

'Yes, sir!' 

'Would you like to do that almost everyday?' she nodded again and he laughed. 

'Good, good, wonderful!' he said, and looked at the table. 'Have you eaten dinner?' she nodded again, before yawning. 'Are you tired?' she then shook her head, and looked around the Great Hall. 

'No, I'm not done exploring!' she cried, and he set her on the ground. 

'Fine, I will let you explore a bit more, but when I call for you I want you to come, all right?' he asked, and she nodded again, running to the corner along with the other Elflings. Gelwe was still there, eating and her children were playing. Haldir took a seat next to his brothers, and they joked some. When they were done, Gelwe stood and Haldir did the same with her. 

'Was she any trouble?' he asked, and she shook her head. 

'No, hardly. She was a very good girl.' Gelwe said, and then called to her children, who came, Thinthar following them. 'Though she and Gelnor got into a small squabble.' She said and turned to her two children. 'Time to come home, ada should be there at any time, now. She said, and the two waved good-bye to Thinthar, though Gelnor only did after his mother gave him a rather sharp look. Thinthar waved back, and went over to Haldir, who took her hand. 

'Have fun!' Orophin called after him, and Haldir waved behind himself. 

'Thinthar, why did you and Gelnor fight?' he asked, and she crossed her arms, sticking her bottom lip out. 

'He called Greenwood a ugly place with nasty spiders.' She said, keeping her gaze ahead of her. 

'What did you do back?' he asked, and she was quiet, 'hm?' 

'I screamed at him to keep his mouth shut, and he screamed at me back.' She said, and he sighed. 

'If someone says things like that you must ignore them. They do not know of what they speak.' He said, and she pouted. 

'But!' 

'No but's! It is better to just not pay attention to them.' He said, and they arrived at his quarters. She went over and jumped onto the bed, playing with her doll again. He some how knew she did not understand much of what he said. He went over to his closet, though, and put his bow and arrows in it. She saw him, and jumped lightly back onto the ground. 

'What are those for?' she asked, and he flinched. He did not want to explain what they were for yet. 

'They are my bow and arrows, I use them for fighting.' He said, and she gasped. 

'Hawdir! You said fighting was bad!' she said, and he nodded. 

'Yes, it is, but I do not fight other elves. I fight orcs, and other evil things to protect you and other elves.' He said, and she nodded.

'Ooooh! That's what you were doing when you found me!' she exclaimed and he nodded. 

'Yes, it is,' he said, and she shrugged. 

'All right!' she said, and was about to play with her doll again when she remembered something. 'Hawdir?' she asked, as he was taking off his outer tunic. 

'Yes?' 

'When Gelnor was yelling at me, he said something in a language I didn't know.' She said, and he sat next to her. 'What was it?'

'It was probably Sindarin.' He said, and she nodded as if she knew. 

'Ooooh!' she said, and looked up at Haldir with her large blue eyes. 'What's that?' 

'Well, it is the language of the elves. What we are speaking now is a language called Westron, used in all of Middle-earth. Mostly only elves know Sindarin.' He said, and she jumped into his lap. 

'Can you teach me Sindarin?' she asked, and he thought of it for a moment before shrugging. 

'Yes, I believe I could.' He said, and said a few words to her. 

'What did you just say?'

'An Elven-maid there was of old, A shining star by day: Her mantle white was hemmed with gold, Her shoes of silver-grey.' He said, and her eye widened. 

'Say the rest!' she said, and he did so, singing it eventually. When he was done he found she had fallen asleep in his lap. He put her to bed again as she hugged the pillow to her. 


	5. Troubles for the Marchwarden

**Here's another. We!!! LET'S KEEP THOUGHS REVIEWS UP, EH?? Hehe, just kidding. I'm so tired, just finished watching a movie, so, I'm out! Nighty!**

**~Hoshiko**

Troubles for the Marchwarden

Thinthar and Haldir spent the next years with this schedule. Thinthar would wake up; Haldir would take her to go play, then go to work. When he came home, she would fall asleep during their Sindarin lessons, though she always seemed to learn. 

 As years passed, though, Thinthar would sleep less, and her need to eat would become a slighter thing. It was plain to see she was growing, like all other elves. With time she would get irritable, many times fighting with Haldir. It was frustrating to the both. There was a time, though, when it was too much, and Thinthar, now a few years from her coming of age, stormed out of the house. 

The evening had started well enough. She and Nerwe had been doing their normal activities together. This, because Nerwe was slightly older, consisted of discussing the elven males. They were giggling at a certain one, when Thinthar got an idea. 

'Let's go exploring!' she proclaimed, and Nerwe stopped giggling. Now, you must understand what each maiden had become. Nerwe was a very proper girl, never rude, and most certainly never one to get very dirty doing anything. Her silver hair fell neatly in long locks down her back and over her shoulders, the front pulled back in the regular fashion. Her dress was of bright colors, elegant, like most of her kind. Thinthar, however, was a different story. 

When she was a still young, in her twenties, she had asked Haldir to cut her hair. He was hesitant, but her insistence would not be shaken. So, he took his scissors and cut her hair. She had ignored the fact, though, that he was a male, and he cut her hair too short for a female. 

'I am very sorry…' he said, apologizing, but she looked at it in the mirror and waved it off. She liked it like that. She quickly braided it like his, and went to her business. From then on she kept it like that, finding playing and other things easier to do with shorter hair. 

Her clothes were also very different from Nerwe's. Instead of flowing gowns, like most elven-maids wore, hers were always straight-sleeved, easily maneuverable, with the flowing part only at the wrists. Her dress itself was always loose, with a belt fit around her waist. 

'I do not know, Thinthar…' Nerwe said, but Thinthar stood, pulling at her hand. 

'Oh, come along!' Thinthar said impatiently, and pulled a bit harder. Nerwe followed reluctantly, but when Thinthar led her to the outer forest, she stopped. 

'We are not supposed to be here! There could be orcs, or goblins, or something out here!' Nerwe said nervously, and Thinthar laughed. 

'Now, now, Nerwe! What are the odds-' she said, but at that point an arrow whizzed by her head. The two off them hid under a bush, and could see a battle going on. 

'I told you!' Nerwe said, getting flustered. Thinthar did not hear her, though; she was too busy watching the battle. It lasted a quite long time, and Thinthar's mouth was still open in awe. 

'Do you see the way they fight?' she asked, amazed. 'Their motions are so fluid, like they are part of their weapons…' she said, it was obvious she was studying them. When it did end, though, Nerwe pulled her back to safety. 

'Are you mad?' she scolded, and Thinthar shrugged. 

'I very well could be… it is none of your matter. I must talk to Haldir when he returns…' she said, and Nerwe sighed. 

That night, Thinthar went home first, with out meeting Haldir, and he found her reading a book. This was not normal for her, so he looked to see if she seemed ill. Though he knew this was quiet impossible, it was a worry he had always had. 

'Are you all right?' he asked, and she nodded, not looking from her book. 

'Yes.' She said, and he put his arrows up in the closet. 'Haldir?'

'Hm?'

'What did you have to do to become a Marchwarden?' she asked, and he raised an eyebrow. 

'Why do you ask?'

'I was just curios…' she said, and he sat in the chair next to her. She set her book in her lap, and looked him inquisitively in the eyes. 

'When someone comes of age they can apprentice an experience Marchwarden, and when the Marchwarden sees that his apprentice is ready, he will tell the Lady. Galadriel and Celeborn will then mark them a Warrior of the Goldenwood.' He explained, and she nodded. Her thoughtful look told him there was something more than just curiosity running through her mind. 'Why?'

'Well, I had a little adventure today, now do not look at me like that, I was not hurt. But, I did see you and the other Marchwardens fighting a small group of orcs. It was… amazing, I've never seen any one fight like that. It has crossed my mind before, but I've never thought this much about it. I… I would like to become a Marchwarden.' She said, and he immediately stood, shaking his head. 

'No.' he said sternly, and she sighed. 

'Why not?' She asked, voice rising. 

'Because it is too dangerous! I will not let you be killed.' He said, his rising too. 

'But If I get the proper training, then I will be as good as you are, and there would be no chance of me being injured!' she said, and he sighed. 

'I am in danger everyday. It is not a job I would want you to do.' He said, his voice quieter now. 

'You are so frustrating!' she cried, stamping her foot. 

'You are acting as a chil-' 

'AS YOU TREAT ME!' she screamed, and walked out the door, slamming it shut. His fists clenched, and he let out his breath slowly, letting her go. He sat in a chair and drummed his fingers on the arm, thinking. Being rapped up in his own thoughts, he did not hear the door opening behind him. 

'All of Lorien heard that fight.' Orophin said, standing in front of his older brother. 

'What was it about this time?' Rumil asked, sitting on the bed. 

'She is becoming more difficult everyday…' Haldir muttered, standing. 'She wishes to become a Marchwarden.' 

'Ah, like Ada!' Orophin said, but the look of death Haldir gave him told him not to go on. 

'And what is the problem with that?' Rumil asked, and walked over to him. 

'She is serious.' 

'No, I mean why will you not let her?' he asked, and Haldir looked at him in disbelief. 

'She would surely be killed!' Haldir proclaimed. 

'You can not live her life, my dear brother.' Orophin said, but Haldir snorted. 

'Orophin is correct, you can not. She is coming to age soon, Haldir. It will be her choice as to what she does the rest of her life, not yours. She's a bright maiden, she knows of the dangers.' He said, Haldir's mind dwelling on the subject. 

'She does not know how to shoot a bow.' He said, and Rumil shrugged. 

'You teach her. Since you are so concerned with her safety, correctly so, would it not be in your best interest to have her apprentice you?' he asked, and Haldir nodded. 

'Yes, it is. But I do not want her to do it in the first place.' Orophin shrugged. 

'She has to grow up some time, brother.' He said. Over the years he had become rather close to Thinthar, both having the same odd sense of humor. 'She just might change her mind. Give her a chance.' 

'Fine. I will give her a chance. It is against my better judgment, but you are correct… it is her choice.' He said, and the Rumil nodded. 

'Now she must come back.' Orophin pointed out, and Haldir nodded. 

'Yes… that might not be until midnight.' 

'True. Good luck.' Rumil said, and they left. They had just served a day and a half's work, they were hungry. Haldir, on the other hand, sat at the table and thought to himself. All the years, while Haldir was Ada, Rumil and Orophin had played uncle, helping him when they could. Orophin had normally been the one she could joke to, while Rumil was the one who understood children more. This was the first time, though, when they counseled him as they just had. But, they were right, he decided, she was old enough to start making decisions on her own. 

Thinthar stormed passed Orophin and Rumil as she left her quarters. She did not recognize them, nor hear their greeting. She automatically walked to Nerwe's house. She was about to rap on the door when she thought better of it. Nerwe had not agreed with her decision either. She took a few deep breathes and decided to take a walk. The trees had always calmed her. She wandered aimlessly until she tired a little. She then sat down next to a fountain and stared at her reflection in the water. 

She had wanted to follow in Haldir's footsteps since she was a small girl. Everyday she imagined herself at his side, shooting orcs from talans. It had never crossed her mind that he would not want her to. As time passed it grew dark, and slowly the lights were lit in the Goldenwood. She took no notice, and was only brought back to reality when there was another face in the water besides her. 

'I have not seen you since you were a young child.' The reflection said, and Thinthar stood, bowing. It was Galadriel. 

'Milady, I am sorry, I was not looking at my sur-' 

'My dear child!' Galadriel said, putting her hand on her shoulder, 'stand! I can not talk to you whilst you look at the ground.' She said, twinkle in her eye. Thinthar raised obediently. 'Now, I have heard that you have a wish, am I correct?'

'It was that loud?' Thinthar asked quietly, Galadriel laughing. 

'Yes, it was. But it's no matter. Now, I normally am not one to dwell on other's affairs, but I have kept an eye on you since I put you in Haldir's care. He has evolved into a fine father, though his protection ethics can be… extreme. It's nothing to be surprised of, though, he is the only one taking care of you. With a bit of convincing, you will find his decision more to your liking.' She said, and Thinthar gave her a questioning look. 

'How do you know, milady?' she asked, and Galadriel nodded slowly. 

'I have known Haldir for many years. He has been my best captain for the majority of those. A female Marchwarden? A bit unconventional, but I do believe there is nothing wrong with it.' she said, and Thinthar smiled. 

'It is allowed?' 

'Allowed? I know of no law against it.' Galadriel said, and Thinthar bowed. 

'Thank you, Milady.' She said, and Galadriel smiled. 

'It is nothing at all. Now, he will get worried if you do not return. It would be a fine idea.' She said, and nodded. 'Good night.' Galadriel turned, and walked silently up the stairs to the Grand Hall. After a moment of thought Thinthar too walked back up to her quarters. When she returned she found Haldir, asleep. He was still on top of his blankets, arms under his head and knee up, in his warden clothes. She quietly put one of her blankets on top of him, went to her bed and pulled the curtain that separated their rooms, going to sleep herself.


	6. First Day of Duty

**Wee!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!! LOOKIE @ ALL DA REVIEWS!!!! WHAHAHA!! I WUV U ALL!! (Yess, I'm seing how mny gramatic and spelin mistakes I cn mke!)**

**~Hoshiko**

First Day on Duty

Thinthar awoke the next day, and pulled back her curtain, finding Haldir had left all ready. She sighed and dressed in her usual clothing. This was not a day she wanted to see Nerwe, so she stayed in her quarters. She looked up for another book to read. Reading all of the choices in front of her, her eyes fell on a certain title in Sindarin. She was extremely fluent in the language now, and she pulled it out. In the common tongue it read 'History of the Armies of the Goldenwood.' She had always been one to learn about things she was interested in, and sat down, skimming through the pages of the thick book. 

Haldir woke up the next morning, rather early. He parted the curtain and saw Thinthar lying in her bed quietly. By the heavy look of her eyelids and her the way her chest moved, he could tell she was still asleep. He changed out of his warden clothes, putting on a silvery-white tunic, dark-green leggings and matching robes. He then proceeded to the Great Hall; he was not hungry. 

When he arrived he walked through the open door, and bowed to the royal couple who was currently talking with each other on their thrones. When he arrived they stopped, and stood as he bowed. 

'Haldir,' Celeborn said, nodding his head, 'we were awaiting your arrival. We are aware of what you came to ask, also.' 

'Thinthar has asked to apprentice a Marchwarden, has she not?' Galadriel asked; Haldir was not surprised of their knowledge of it.

'Yes she has, my lords,' Haldir said, and Galadriel nodded. 

'We believe she is well aware of the dangers, and with the proper training she will become a very respected one. We permit her to apprentice only the best we have.' Haldir's look became curios and Galadriel laughed. 'I speak of you, Haldir.' She said, and Haldir could feel the blood rush to his face. 

'You blush easily for an elf, Haldir.' Celeborn said, and Haldir nodded. 

'Yes, it happens some times.' He said, and Galadriel waved it off. 

'We had a tailor adjust clothing to her proper length, and boots to her size. By the end of the day a bow shall be made that is correct for her also. Take the clothes, at least, for now. Come back later for the bow, quiver, and other weapons. Congratulations, Haldir, she is growing into a fine young maiden.' Galadriel said, and a servant handed him the clothes. He bowed again, and left, walking to his quarters. 

When he walked back into his quarters, he found Thinthar awake, reading. She did not look up when he walked in, and he put her clothes down carefully. 

'Thinthar?' There was no response. 'You start tonight with me at sunset, be ready.' He said gruffly, and she immediately looked up at the clothes he had brought in, then at him. In one swift movement she practically jumped on him and kissed him on the cheek. Rather surprised, it took him a minute to react, but he hugged her back. 

'Haldir!' she cried, and squeezed him tighter, 'you have changed your mind!' she said, and they let go. 

'You did not think I was going to live your life for you, did you?' he asked, and she shook her head, going to her clothes. They were just like his, though on the left arm there was the insignia of an apprentice. 

'They're wonderful…' she breathed, and hugged him again. 'But they're missing a belt…' 

'Use one of mine. Now, I'm hungry. Here is your first lesson: after being on duty, always eat a meal.' He said, and she nodded. 

'I will remember that.' She said, and he opened the door for her. 

'Good. There is much more for you to learn.' He said, and followed her to the dining hall. The rest of the day was spent like a blur to Thinthar, and only when the sun was setting, did she come back to reality. 

Quickly, she walked up the stairs and to her quarters. When she got there she rushed past Haldir, who was getting dressed himself, grabbed her uniform, and changed quickly. When she looked at herself in the mirror, a rush of excitement went through her. She walked back out from behind her curtain, fully dressed, and when she did so, Haldir held out a bow and arrows. 

'This is your training bow,' he explained as she took it, 'when you are no longer an apprentice, you will receive one like mine.' He said, and she nodded, taking it. 'You look ready, shall we be off, then?' he asked, and they went, him opening the door for her. 

They walked down to the forest floor, where Haldir found a stump to a tree. 

'Before we go to the talan, I would like to give you your first lesson on the ground. Have you ever held a bow before?' he asked, and she quickly debated weather she should tell him that she had held and almost shot his many times. She decided against it. 

'No, sir,' she answered, and he nodded, giving her some leather protection for her string-fingers. 

'Right, then. Come here,' he said, and in the dirt he drew a line with his shoe. 'Face the stump sideways,' she did so, 'put one foot on each side of the line,' she obeyed again, 'now, bend your bow.' He said. He had taught her to do that a few years ago, and she did hers with much more ease than she had done to his. 'Good.' He replied, and handed her and arrow. 'Hold onto the feathered side tightly, resting the barrel of the arrow on you hand on the wood. Then, pull back, aim, and let go.' He said, and she did so, missing the tree, the arrow falling short. 

'Haldir?' 

'Pull back on the string harder, and do not be afraid to make it creak a bit. That will give you more power. Now, again.' He said, and she did so. When she let go, though the arrow hit the target and stayed in, she cried out suddenly and clutched her arm. With simple anatomy of the female body, the string had burned the inside of her elbow. 

'Are you all right?' he asked, and she nodded. 

'Yes, I am fine.' She said, and he motioned for her to hold out the bow as if to shoot. She did so again, and he looked at what was wrong. He did the same with his and compared them, finding the problem. 

'You're arm… it seems to go in more than mine. No matter, you will just have to twist it so it's out of the way. Are you positive you are all right?' 

'Yes, yes, nothing more than a rub-burn.' She reassured him, and since his bow was out, he loaded his arrow with the speed of elves, and shot the trunk exactly in the center. 

'That is what we are attempting to accomplish. You fumble too much with the loading the arrow. For now I think it just proper to practice loading now.' He said, and that is all they did, for many hours. At the end Haldir unbent his bow. 

'That is all for today. Come, we must get to the talan, it is time for our shift.' He said, and she did the same, retrieving the only arrows she had shot. She then followed Haldir, who took them to their assigned spot. 

'Whistle.' He said, and she looked at him. 'Yes, a long, high one.' he said, and she did so. When she did a silver-gray rope snaked down the side of the tree from the talan above. He motioned her up it, and she climbed the ladder, him under her. When she emerged up in the talan, she was greeted by a hoot. 

'There's the apprentice, here before her master, I see.' Orophin laughed, and Haldir's head showed. 

'Of course, brother, you know how late I always am.' He said, and Rumil nodded. 

'Disgustingly so. I would rather you apprentice me, I am always here on time. He'll just teach you bad habits.' He said, and Haldir laughed.

'I can imagine.' Thinthar said, nodding. 

'You are late more than I!' Haldir said, and Rumil shook his head while Thinthar giggled. 

'In such denial, senile in old age, I believe.' He said, and Haldir rolled his eyes while Thinthar laughed harder. Her burn rubbed against her clothes, though, and she remembered it with a groan of pain. 

'Haldir!' Rumil said, and looked at him in pretend shame, 'You have let her injure herself all ready, and we have not even thrown her over the side of the talan yet!' he said, and Thinthar rolled back her sleeve, inspecting it. It was a bright red, and burning. 

'Move, Rumil!' Orophin said, and pushed past him, 'this is a job for a trained healer!' he said, and Thinthar gaped at him. 

'You are a healer?' 

'Well, no, but we do the best with what we have.' He said, grinning, and took out a rolled-up piece of clean white cloth. He rapped it, and when he was done she rolled her sleeve back up. 

'Now, rules of the talan!' Rumil said, clapping his hands together. 

'There is to be no males up here, wines, or fooling around.' Haldir interrupted, and gave both his brothers disapproving looks. 'Both of them have a problem with all three.' He said, but could not surpress a smile and the other two laughed. 

'He lies, he's the one with the wine.' Orophin said and winked. Thinthar winked back. 

'And I do not believe we are welcomed if there are no males!' Rumil said, and moved towards the ladder. 'You can stay, Haldir.' Haldir laughed at his brother, and Orophin shrugged. 

'He is correct.'

'Any other's besides these two.'

'Do I have to separate you three?' Thinthar said, and Haldir shook his head. 

'They are corrupting you all ready.' He said, and Rumil shrugged. 

'We were half-way there all ready, my dear brother.' He pointed out and Haldir nodded. 

'True, very true. Now, the subject of the lanterns,' he turned to theirs, 'they are used as silent signals and nothing else. Opening it twice asks if there is danger, if the response is yes, there will only be one, no there will be two, have it?'

'Once yes, twice no.' she repeated, and he nodded. 

'Good, there are the 'rules,' and now just keep a sharp eye out and tell us if you see anything. I do not want you fighting today.' Haldir said, and Thinthar sighed, opening her mouth to say something. Orophin stopped her.

'I wouldn't say a word, he thinks he's above us, something about being High Marchwarden.' He answered sarcastically, and Thinthar nodded wisely. 

'Wouldn't dream of it.' 


	7. To Mature a Little More

**Yes, that's right, this is going to be a chapter of the 'girl' stuff. Periods, that sorta stuff. If this makes you uncomfortable, don't read. If you don't have a problem, then you are safe. There is nothing vulgar about the chapter, just what we woman deal with every month. You have been warned. **

**~Hoshiko**

To mature a Little More

Thinthar received lessons from Haldir for the next few years. After he taught her how to shoot properly, she was taught the use of her long-knife. This seemed to be the easier of the two for her, and she learned in few quick months. 

Rumil was the one who taught her, since his skills laid mostly with that, too. Everyday they would draw a string across two trees, three feet above the ground, and practice on top of it. Who ever was knocked to the ground first and found the blade of the long knife in front of their face lost. In three months time she and he were closely matched in their skills. 

'You, my dear, are getting very skilled with that long-knife.' Rumil commented, as she pinned him down with her foot, long-knife in his face. 

'Thank you.' She said, and let him stand, Orophin and Haldir clapping. 

'Now, if you could do that with your bow, I would be eternally grateful.' Haldir said, and Thinthar sighed. She was still slow on taking the arrow out of the quiver, and he would drill her everyday on it. 

'One more go?' Rumil asked, putting his hand on her shoulder. She smiled, and then nodded, but Orophin jumped up suddenly. 

'I would like to challenge her!' he cried, but Rumil looked hesitant. Thinthar gave her lop-sided grin, and bowed. 

'Gladly.' She said, and they positioned themselves upon the rope. As they took three paces, then turned on each other, Rumil sat next to Haldir. 

'You are going rather hard on her, brother.' He whispered, so only Haldir could hear. 

'Nonsense, she is doing well.' Haldir said, but Rumil sighed. 

'You are correct, she is, but her skills are with the long-knife more than the bow. With a bit more training, she will be ready to take the tests, but it is an unfair thing to pressure her to the bow.' Rumil said, and Haldir's emotions did not change. 

'Wait a bit longer, and see if her advancements are greater with the bow. With more years they will eventually equal each other out. Even you have yet for them to match each other.' He said, and Rumil agreed silently. He was only one-hundred years Thinthar's elder. For elves that was not much time at all. 

'I have yet to fight enough battles.' Rumil muttered, for there had not been many orc attacks for several years. He then clapped widely when Orophin fell onto the ground, hands in a surrendering position. Thinthar smiled happily with herself and helped him up. 

'You are very skilled, Thinthar.' Orophin said, nodding. He bowed to her, and she bowed back before he shoved her lightly to the side. 'But I let you win.'

'You did not!' Thinthar exclaimed in fake disgust. 'I won, weather you like it or not.' 

'Ah, well, you are right. Now.' He said, and she laughed. Haldir turned quietly to Rumil. 

'The next battle marks the beginning of her testing. I would like your and Orophin's council from then on, if you don't mind,' he said, and Rumil nodded. 

'Certainly, Haldir. You do know, of course, that we were going to do that even if you were not moved to ask, right?' 

'Yes, I did, that's why I just invited you.' Haldir said and smiled, Rumil laughing. 

'You know us too well.'

They went home that night, and ate dinner together. Thinthar wanted to go home before the other's and as she went, Haldir's eyes wondered, falling upon another elf. Out of the corner of the elf's eyes, Haldir could see him watching Thinthar leave. He looked quickly to see if Thinthar noticed, but she did not, and he eyed the elf, getting his attention. When he saw Haldir watching he turned quickly away to his friends. Orophin had caught Haldir's gaze, and he looked at the expression on his face. 

'Ah, love, such a wonderful thing in such young elves.' He said, and Haldir grunted, standing. 

'Too young.' He said, and Orophin looked at the ceiling in a false dreamy-passion. 

'You can not stop it, dear brother.' He said, and to his surprise Haldir slammed a fist on the table, Rumil's reflexive reaction to their quarreling took over and he stood.  

'Some times you do not know when to shut your mouth.' Haldir said with contempt, and turned quickly, steaming out the door. Orophin looked to Rumil who sat back down. 

'He is correct, you do not some times.' Rumil said, and Orophin waved it off, eating again. 

Thinthar walked quickly up to her quarters. She had wanted to leave early because she had suddenly gotten a strange pain in the bottom of her stomach. When she did arrive in her quarters, she sat on her bed and sat down, waiting for it to go away. When it finally did, she breathed in deeply and started to change into a dress. When she took her pants off, she stopped. There was a strange, red spot on her pants. Her eyes opened in horror and she put them back on quickly, running out the door, pushing past Haldir. 

'Thinthar wh-' but he did not get a reaction out of her. Instead she flew over to Nerwe's slamming on the door. They had not spoken much since Thinthar became an apprentice, but something told her Haldir could not help her with this. Nerwe answered the door, surprised to see Thinthar standing there.

'Thinthar?' she asked, and Thinthar looked at her, anxiety on her face. 

'Nerwe, there is something wrong with me.' She said, and Nerwe realized what was wrong. 

'Come on into my washroom, I will help you.' She said and Thinthar followed her. When they got there, Nerwe got her a long strip of white cloth, and told Thinthar to rap it around her undergarments. Thinthar did so quickly while Nerwe turned around, and when she had finished, Thinthar told her to sit and settle down. It was not the end of the world, but Thinthar still burst into tears. 

'Thinthar, calm yourself. It is normal.' 

'Normal? Bleeding like this is normal?' 

'Yes, you have come of age. This marks the reaching of maturity, and from now on you will choose when you will become fertile.' She said, and Thinthar wiped a tear from her eye. 

'How do you just choose that?'

'Well, that I can not explain. You just… can.' She said, and Thinthar ceased crying, taking a deep breath. 'He has not explained anything yet, has he?'

'Explained what?'

'Intercourse.' 

'No… he has not…' Thinthar said when there was a knock on the door. It was Nerwe's mother. 

'What's wrong?' she asked, and Nerwe took her mother aside, explaining. When she was done Gelwe nodded. 

'Ah, yes, well Haldir should be here any minute, then,' she said, and as if she had foresight, there was a knock on the door. Gelwe answered the door while Nerwe went back to Thinthar, and Haldir looked at her, concerned.

'What's wrong with Thinthar, Gelwe?' he asked, and Gelwe led him inside. 

'Haldir… she has come of age.' Gelwe said quietly, and Haldir looked at her in disbelief. 'Well, do not asked so surprised, she was bound to come to it at some time. But I understand she has not had the talk with you, yet.' 

'The talk?' Haldir asked, the color draining from his face. He had not been ready for anything of that kind. 

'Yes, she must know at some point.' Gelwe said, and Haldir shook his head. 

'All… all right, Gelwe, thank you for telling me of this.' 

'You have all the right in the world to know. Good luck.' She said, and rapped on the door to her washroom. Thinthar came out minutes later, and after hugging Nerwe, she walked quietly out the door. Haldir nodded his thanks again, and followed after her. When they got to his quarters he looked nervously around. 

'Thinthar…' he said, but she disappeared around her curtain immediately, and he could hear her crying. He sat in silence until he could hear her sobs no longer. He found she had cried herself to sleep, and he just put a blanket on her. She woke up a few hours later, and sat up. She was feeling better, and when she thought Haldir was asleep she tried to slip out. He surprised her, though, and said her name quietly. 

'Thinthar, come here.' He said, and she sat next to him on the bed. She could tell he was uncomfortable. Slowly, and awkwardly, Haldir told her of intercourse, and decisions to do such a thing. When he had finished she stayed silent. She had no questions, and she stood, uncomfortable, too.  

'I'm going to go eat now…' she muttered, and walked down to the Great Hall. Haldir stayed where he was, though, and let out his breath, which he had been holding the whole time. The bright red left from his face and he found that he was extremely tired. That had been a bit too much for him, and he could think of none other than had he done something wrong. He worried himself into a light sleep. 


	8. Testing and the First Battle

**Battle****! Battle battle battle! Yay! Death, destruction, blood! We love elvish blood spilling, don't we precious? Well, not really, but I thought that sounded freaky enough. Hehe, ok, I'm done, bai bai!**

**~Hoshiko**

Testing and the First Battle

            Thinthar showed no signs of the talk the next day, and instead got dressed as normal, and went with Haldir to the tree to look out. While they went out their door, though, Rumil caught Haldir's eye. 

            'Haldir, did you not get the message?' he asked, and Haldir shook his head. 

            'What message?'

'The Lady and Lord wish to talk to you. I was afraid you did not, so I came at any rate. Do not worry about Thinthar, I will take her.' He said, and Haldir nodded. 

'Fine, I will see you later.' He said, and went to the Royal chambers. There Galadriel waited for him, and went down to him and he bowed.

'Haldir, I must tell you, there was an attack yesterday on the eastern border. Some of them escaped and they are going to the western side. I just wanted you to keep a special eye out.' She said, and he nodded. 

'Thank you, Milady.' He said, and turned to go. 

'Haldir, I must ask you something else.' 

'Yes, Milady?'

'Thinthar, she is coming of age soon, and I was wondering if she would like a maid.' Galadriel's question was simple enough, but it threw Haldir into deep thought. 

'I do not know, Milady. I do not think Thinthar is the kind of elf-maiden who would like one. After all, she does her hair and everything else with out assistance, and she is a free spirit. Even my worrying tends to get to her. I can not speak for her, though, I will ask.' He said, and bowed again. 

'Very well, good luck.' Galadriel said, and Haldir left, hurrying to his talan. 

Rumil and Thinthar walked silently to their talan until Rumil ventured to break the silence. 

'You are very quiet, not like you.' He said, and she nodded. 

'Mm…'

'Did something happen?' she shook her head. 'Did I do something?' she shook her head again, 'did Orophin do something?' again. 

'Something I'd rather not discuss happened, and I would prefer it if no more questions were asked.' She said shortly, her tone reflecting Haldir in more ways than one. 

'Of course, I am sorry.' Rumil apologized, and whistled for Orophin to drop the rope. It came after a moment, and the two climbed up. 

'There was a small attack right before you got here about two miles off. We must keep a look-out.' Orophin said, and Rumil looked through the forest with his sharp eyes. 

'How many?'

'Five.' 

'That is all?'

'There are more.' This was all Orophin had to say for the other two to keep their eyes on the look out. Minutes passed, and no sign came, until something caught Orophin's eye. There was an enormous band of orcs running not half a mile off to the other side of the forest. 

'They are here!' he cried, and flicked his lantern once before they set off. Orophin began to stop Thinthar, but Rumil shook his head, and he did not. They raced from talan to talan, other elves of the forest appearing beside them. Before Thinthar knew it, they had surrounded the orcs, some on the ground, others in the trees. Rumil had led her to the ground. 

'Come along, Thinthar, you will be of more use on the ground.' He said, and they hopped down, protecting each other's back with the years of practice they had had together. Their movements were swift and in time with each other. 

Thinthar took a swift slice to one of the orcs, and slit it's throat while Rumil stabbed an orc in the stomach. Both went at as if they were beautiful machines, knowing what the other would do at certain points in time. 

But around them, elves were falling at great numbers, though orcs were too, and their screams could be heard. As if that wasn't torture enough for the remaining elves, it started to rain, clouding their vision slightly. 

'How many orcs are there?' Thinthar said over the clatter and stabbed an orc in the back. 

'Enough!' Rumil called, and from one of the talans a horn called. 'They are calling help, keep going!' he said, and Thinthar did so. She seemed to be taking some odd anger and frustration out on one of the orcs, and did not see one go for Rumil. Unfortunately, Rumil did not see it either, and it stabbed him in the leg. Rumil cried out in pain and fell to the ground. 

Haldir could hear the clamor of the fight from his assigned talan, and climbed the tree quickly, jumped onto the talan, and went to the sounds of battle. He found more elves coming beside him, and he found Orophin blowing a horn to call them. 

'Haldir, it is good you have come.' He said, and put the horn away, 'it is knife-work down there.' Haldir saw it was so, and nodded. 

'I will be there, then.' He said, and jumped nimbly down. Orophin sighed, and shot many orcs from above in the talan. 

Thinthar turned when she heard her friend fall, and gasped. His leg was bleeding more than she had seen anything bleed before, and she immediately tried to pick his limp body up. She succeeded, though not easily, and after walking a few steps with him, her leg gave out, and she fell. He did not go with her, though, because something had picked him up. She looked up and found Haldir standing over her. 

'Thinthar, you must try to cover me.' He instructed, and she nodded, bending her bow. As Haldir rushed to the nearest talan, she immediately began shooting orcs. All the lessons she had gone through took immediate effect of her body, and many orcs fell at her hands. If Haldir had seen, he would have been impressed.

 He hurried through the crowd, focussing only on the tree, and whistled up. The rope ladder was let down, but before he could get up to the tree he slipped and fell on the ground wet with a mixture of blood and rain, a rock lodging itself into his knee. He got up with a grimace, and put his full trust in Thinthar as he climbed the ladder slowly, his back completely open. Nothing hit him, though, and he got Rumil up in the talan successfully. An elf in the talan helped him get Rumil fully up and bound his leg. Haldir called over the edge of the talan, getting Thinthar's attention. 

'There are not many here now, come up and shoot from here!' he said, and she nodded, climbing up the ladder nimbly. When she arrived he helped her up. 'Thank you for doing that.' 

'Will Rumil be fine?' she asked, and Haldir nodded. 

'Rumil will need a healer, but the battle is not over, we must still fight.' He said, and they started shooting from the talan. Her skills were just as well done in the talan as on the ground, and Haldir watched her movements out of the corner of his eye, finally seeing the extent of her skills. The battle did not last much longer, and when it was done, Haldir looked out over the elves that had fallen. 

'This is not good.' He said, voice bitter. Death was always something he had had a problem dealing with. Thinthar looked out over the battlefield in confusion. 

'They are all… dead?' she asked, and Haldir nodded, 'So many died… and will not be seen again?' 

'This is the danger we put ourselves in to protect the city. Many have fallen for the woman children and others of the Golden Wood. Many tears will be shed tonight.' He said, and she looked at Orophin and Rumil, Rumil had yet to wake up. 'We must get Rumil to a healer, come.' He said, and they left the others to take in the dead. The walk to the Golden Wood seemed short, and while Orophin and Thinthar took Rumil to the healer's room, Haldir went to the Royal Chambers. He walked up to the Lady and Lord of the Wood, and bowed. 

'We have defeated the band of orcs you had spoken of before.' He said, and his voice became bitter. 'We have lost many, and have many casualties. Rumil was stabbed in the leg.' Celeborn looked at the blood streaming from Haldir's leg and nodded. 

'Yes, and you are bleeding all over our floors.' He said, and Haldir looked down, wincing. 

'It is no problem, Haldir.' Galadriel said, and smiled. 'You should go to the healers as well. Thank you for the report.' She said, and he bowed again, walking to the healers. He had not noticed his knee before, but as if looking at it was actually doing it, his leg now stung. He went to the waiting room where a healer was free, and the healer took him in. 

'You did this how?' The healer asked, trying to distract his attention. It didn't help; he still felt a sharp pain as the rock was removed. 

'I fell carrying Rumil. Do you know where he is?' 

'Yes, your brother is in the next room. I have attended to him, too, he will need bed rest for several days.' He said, and bandaged Haldir's leg. Haldir bent it a few times to loosen the bandage, and hopped down. 

'Thank you.' He said, and went into the next room, where Thinthar was crying, Orophin comforting her. 'What happened?' he asked, and Orophin shook his head. 

'She blames herself for Rumil.' He said, and Thinthar let out a particularly loud sob. 

'I should have been watching more closely!' she cried, and Haldir shook his head.

'It is not your fault, Thinthar, even I could have done that.' She still cried, though, and it took her a while to stop. When she had calmed a bit, Haldir turned to her. 'I saw your skills out there. You have advanced more than I though with that bow. Congratulations.' He said, and she shook her head. 

'For what?'

'You have passed the first test.' He said, and she looked confused. 

'Test?'

'Yes, you have begun your testing for Marchwarden.' He said, and she smiled. 

'Thank you.' She said, and Haldir nodded.

'Yes, there is something else I'd like to ask, too.' 

'Yes?'

'The Lady has requested I ask if you would like a maid in your service now that you have come of age.' This received the expected reaction. She looked him hard in the eyes, and shook her head. .

'No, I do not need one, I can take care of myself.' She said, and he shrugged. 

'Yes, I figured that would be what you would say. Very well, I will tell her tomorrow.' He said, and stood. 'Rumil will be here for a few more days, and you look tired, you should come and sleep.' Haldir said kindly, and Thinthar shook her head. Orophin had gone home minutes before, and she would have been alone. 

'I would rather stay, Haldir.' She said, and Haldir nodded. 

'Very well, I will see you later.' 

'Good-bye.' 


	9. The Marchwarden's Apprentice

**_Hey Hey Hey! Look who's back! It's Hoshiko! ALL RIGHT!!! I'm so sorry I haven't updated on this for a long time. I was going to give it up, but so many of you e-mailed me that I was like 'what the heck, let's do it!' LOL! Well, here's your new chapter, sorry it's short, but the best I could do, you know…_**

**_~Hoshiko_**

****

**_P.S. I expect many reviews now! Thank you!_**

The Marchwarden's Apprentice

The next day, Rumil awoke to Thinthar being curled up in a little ball on the bench next to his bed. For a moment he flashed back to Haldir reaching his hand out and being bitten, but that soon subsided. Looking at his surroundings he realized he was in the healing rooms. He tried to sit up, but found his leg to be too much of a pain for him to do so, so he lay back down. After a moment Thinthar stirred, and blinked at him sleepily, before realizing he was awake. 

'Rumil!' She cried, and flung herself onto him. He let out a particulary loud 'ooph!' but hugged her back. 

'Thinthar!' he said, mimicking her tone, and she got off of him. 

'I'm sorry, I wasn't looking at that orc, this is all my fault!' she cried, and he put up his hands to calm her. 

'My dear elf, it wasn't your fault!' he said soothingly and she nodded. 'No, it wasn't. I should have been watching my own neck, not you.' 

'But we work as a team-'

'And you were doing all you could as to not get yourself killed. This would have happened no matter who was with me. Any way, it's not bad, just a little sore,' he said, and took a closer look at her. 'You haven't gone home yet, have you?' Blood was still smeared on her cheek, a mixture of his own and an orc's. 'Go and wash, I daresay Haldir's worrying, eh?' he asked, and she smiled. 

'You'll be all right?'

'Right as I've ever been!' 

'All right…' she said, and stood. 'I'll be back later!'

'Certainly!' Rumil smiled happily and called after her as she left, 'and tell Orophin I want my good knife back, will you?' Thinthar waved behind her in response, and rushed up to her talan. Haldir wasn't there, but there was a note that told her he was eating at that point in time. She bathed quickly, and dressed in her normal simple fashion. As she pulled the dress on her shoulder her stomach turned. She hadn't eaten anything in days, and it was starting to show. As she made her way to the dining hall, she looked around the trees of Lorien. 

In the distance a chorus of elves was singing laments for the dead, and the feeling of grief was strong through the trees. It was like an endless river that ran to the ocean, as if it would always be there, recycling itself over and over again. She suddenly felt a twinge of guilt. How could she feel so horrible about her own predicament when others were effected so much more greatly? She was lucky that Haldir, Rumil, and Orophin hadn't perished like the others. For years she had been convinced that this was all some big adventure. The truth was starting to set in. 

As she walked she had the odd feeling that someone was watching her. Slowly she looked around, and her eyes locked with another's. They had been hiding in the tops of one of the trees, and nimbly the elf jumped down. 

'Hello…' she said slowly and he smiled. 

'Hello, yes, I was just wondering,' he said, looked around, 'have you seen my sister, Nerwe?' Thinthar studied him for a moment before recognizing him. 

'Gelnor?' she inquired, and he nodded. Gelnor had left many years earlier as a child, accompanying his father to Mirkwood. 

'Yes, I am,' he said and he turned his head a little, 'do I know you?'

'Gelnor, it is me, Thinthar!' she said, and he nodded. 

'Yes! I see we've both grown up a bit haven't we?' he asked, and she nodded before remembering the last time they had seen each other. They had gotten into a fight and Thinthar had slapped him. She could hardly believe this handsome elf was that annoying, smart mouthed brat! 

'So we have,' she said, and he laughed. 

'Rather good-looking for spawn of Mirkwood,' all right, maybe it was not so hard to believe. She held her head up high and squared her shoulders. 

'I'll have you know I'm becoming a Marchwarden for Lorien, Gelnor,' she said proudly and he put up a hand in mock fear. 

'Oh, I am sorry, I will make sure to seep to myself, then!' he said, and she was about to say some choice words in Sindarin before pointing to Nerwe's quarters, 'she's in there.' She said stiffly, and walked off to the dining hall. She could hear Gelnor chuckling as he went off to Nerwe's house. 

Many years past, and the borders of Lorien were well protected. There were ten tests that Thinthar had to pass, which she met successfully. Most of these tests were merely surviving battles and doing everything correctly, but she also had to beat each of her trainers (Haldir, Rumil, and Orophin, of course) at their specialty. Rumil was knife-work, while Haldir and Orophin were more skilled with the bow, and after a few tries, she beat them all. 

Rumil currently was laying down on the ground, the sharp end of a knife pointing at the end of his nose. Thinthar put her knife back into its sheath in her acquired, military-type form, and put out a hand to help him up. 

Orophin whooped and jumped up and down as Haldir beamed. 

'You've passed your last test!' Haldir said, and Thinthar looked as if she was about to burst. 

 'And our shift's over!' Rumil proclaimed, 'we will tell the Lord and Lady immediately!' And with that, Rumil and Orophin locked arms, singing an elvish drinking song as they had a little cavort through the trees. 

'They're both mad…' Haldir said, shaking his head and Thinthar laughed. 

'It is true! They also are more happy for me than I am!' she said, and they left together for their talan. Haldir went to the throne room, where Rumil and Orophin were already waiting for him. 

'You are so slow!' he said, and Haldir rolled his eyes. 

'Come along, then, you two, we're wasting time,' he said, and they walked down the long carpet, Haldir leading them. When they reached the royalty, the two stood, and the brothers bowed in elvish fashion. 

'Is there something you wish to tell us?' Celeborn asked, and before Haldir could speak, Orophin and Rumil could hold their joy no longer. 

'Thinthar passed all the test!' they said in unison and the Lady raised her eyebrows. 

'She has passed all ten of her tests? Very well, we will have her initiation tomorrow. Haldir, are you sure she is ready?' Galadriel asked, and Haldir nodded. 

'Yes, Milady, she has come a long way,' he said, and the sides of Galadriel's mouth upturned. 

'Very well, then she is ready,' she said, and all three bowed before leaving. 

The next day Haldir woke Thinthar up in the early morning, before the sun had risen. 

'What is it, Haldir?' she asked, sleepily, and Haldir smiled kindly down at her. 

'You must get up, your initiation is today,' he said, and all sleep left her. 

'Today?' she asked, and he laughed. 

'Yes, today!' he said, and she sat up immediately, getting her uniform. 

'What is going to happen?' Thinthar called through the curtain, and Haldir took her bow out of the closet. 

'Basically all that happens is that the Lord cuts the apprentice emblem off your arm, and you bow, and the Lady gives you a bow of the Golden Wood,' Haldir explained, and Thinthar emerged from the other side of the curtain. 

'Will I be repositioned?' she asked, and Haldir shrugged. 

'I do not know, but I doubt it. You have trained with us, after all,' he said, and she nodded. 

'Yes, of course,' she said, and he chuckled to himself. She looked so grown up, yet her excitement reminded him of the nine year old finding a dresser yet again.

'We shall go, then,' he said, and opened the door for her as she walked out to the throne room. There she was met by Rumil and Orophin, Rumil smiling kindly and Orophin grinning from ear to ear. 

'You are to go in front of us,' Orophin said, and she nodded before hugging them. 

'You're madness is the biggest help I've ever had,' she said, and Rumil laughed. 

'So we're mad now?'

'Not as mad as that one over there,' Orophin said, winking and nodding in Haldir's direction. 

'All right, we must get going now,' Haldir said, and Orophin stuck his tongue out at Haldir. 

'You're too serious,' he said, but Haldir shoved him, and he was about to shove back when Rumil shook his head. 

'Hopeless, the both of you… hopeless…' he said, and Thinthar walked through the door, and up to the Royalties. The sun had just started to show through the Lothlorien trees as she bowed, the other three behind them. A servant gave a knife to Celeborn, and he came down and in one swift movement cut the red emblem from Thinthar's left arm, letting it fall to the floor. Thinthar then put one hand on her heart and bowed her head. 

'Thinthar's bow, Haldir?' Galadriel asked, and Haldir gave it to Orophin, who snapped it in two. 'This signifies the passage of apprenticeship to master. Here is your new bow, Thinthar. You must promise to always heed the word of your higher Marchwarden. Do you?'

'Yes, I do,' Thinthar said, and the Lady gave Thinthar her new bow. 

'Use it well,' she said, and Thinthar bowed again. 

'Thank you, Milady,' she said, and she turned, the others following behind her. When they got outside Orophin threw an arm around her shoulder.

'That's right!' he said, leaning on her, 'you have to listen to all of us now!' 

'Oh no, what shall I do?' Thinthar asked, and Rumil shrugged. 

'What ever we tell you,' he answered and winked. 

'Calm down, you two,' Haldir said, and Orophin glanced back at Haldir. 

'Uh-uh, now. You had your chance to be top-lofty, but now she must answer to us!' he said, and Thinthar giggled. 

'Get off me,' she said, and Orophin let go of her.

'Certainly,' he said, and they marched themselves right to the Dining Hall. 


End file.
